The Cleveland Cavaliers entered the National Basketball Association in 1970 as an expansion franchise. More than five decades later, the Cavaliers have produced some of the most memorable players, coaches, teams and moments in NBA history—including the championship that ended Cleveland’s 52-year major-sports championship drought.
The Cavaliers’ story includes early struggles, the Miracle at Richfield, difficult ownership years, the arrival of LeBron James, four NBA Finals appearances in the 2010s, and the historic 2016 NBA championship.
The Beginning: Cleveland Gets an NBA Team
The Cavaliers began play in the 1970-71 NBA season. Attorney and Cleveland sports entrepreneur Nick Mileti was the key figure in bringing the expansion franchise to the city.
Mileti had purchased the Cleveland Arena and was looking for additional major professional sports tenants. Cleveland was awarded an NBA expansion franchise in 1970. The Cavaliers were joined that year by the Buffalo Braves and Portland Trail Blazers.
The team’s name came from a contest sponsored by The Plain Dealer. Jerry Tomko submitted the winning name, “Cavaliers.” Other finalists included the Jays, Foresters and Presidents.
The first Cavaliers team struggled badly, finishing its inaugural season 15-67.
But Cleveland basketball would eventually become one of the NBA’s most important franchises.
All Cavaliers Owners
The Cavaliers have had four principal ownership eras since joining the NBA.
1. Nick Mileti — 1970-1980
Nick Mileti was the Cavaliers’ founding owner and the person most responsible for bringing NBA basketball to Cleveland. Mileti remained involved with the franchise until 1980. His ownership period included the franchise’s first playoff team and its first division championship in 1976.
2. Ted Stepien — 1980-1983
Ted Stepien purchased control of the Cavaliers in 1980.
Stepien’s ownership became one of the most controversial periods in franchise history. Cleveland struggled on the court, and the franchise traded away multiple future first-round draft choices. Those transactions eventually contributed to the NBA adopting what became known as the Ted Stepien Rule, which restricts teams from trading away first-round picks in consecutive future drafts. Stepien eventually considered moving the franchise to Ted Stepien Rule. Stephen considered moving to Toronto.
3. George and Gordon Gund — 1983-2005
Brothers George Gund and Gordon Gund purchased the Cavaliers in 1983 and kept the franchise in Cleveland. Their ownership brought stability after the difficult Stepien era. The Gunds hired executives and coaches who helped rebuild the franchise, including Wayne Embry and Lenny Wilkens. The organization eventually drafted Brad Daugherty, Mark Price, Ron Harper and Larry Nance, producing one of the best Cleveland teams of the 1980s and early 1990s.
4. Dan Gilbert — 2005-present
Dan Gilbert led the investor group that purchased the Cavaliers in 2005. The NBA approved the purchase on March 1, 2005. Gilbert’s ownership began just before the Cavaliers selected Akron native LeBron James with the first overall pick in the 2003 draft—James had already been drafted before Gilbert purchased the team—but Gilbert’s ownership era ultimately became synonymous with the franchise’s championship years.
The Cavaliers won their first NBA championship in 2016 under Gilbert’s ownership. Gilbert remains the team’s principal owner.
Every Arena the Cavaliers Have Called Home
Cleveland Arena
1970-1974
The Cleveland Arena was the Cavaliers’ first home. The building had already been associated with Nick Mileti before the Cavaliers arrived. Cleveland played its first four NBA seasons there.
Richfield Coliseum
1974-1994
The Cavaliers moved to the Richfield Coliseum in Summit County in 1974.
The larger building became the home of some of the greatest early Cavaliers teams. It was there that Cleveland captured its first division championship and made the playoffs in 1976. The Richfield years included the famous “Miracle at Richfield” era of the 1970s.
Gund Arena
1994-2005
The Cavaliers moved downtown to a new arena in 1994.
The building opened as Gund Arena, named for owner Gordon Gund.
Quicken Loans Arena
2005-2019
Following Dan Gilbert’s purchase of the Cavaliers in 2005, the arena was renamed Quicken Loans Arena. It became the site of many of the greatest moments of the LeBron James era.
Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse
2019-2025
The building was renovated and renamed Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in 2019.
Rocket Arena
2025-present
The building was renamed Rocket Arena in 2025 as part of a new branding agreement.
The arena remains the Cavaliers’ home.
The Miracle at Richfield
The Cavaliers’ first great team emerged in the mid-1970s.
Led by players such as Austin Carr, Bingo Smith, Jim Chones and Nate Thurmond, Cleveland reached the playoffs for the first time in 1976.
The team defeated Washington in the first round before advancing to the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Cleveland eventually lost to the Boston Celtics, but the 1976 season established the Cavaliers as a legitimate NBA franchise.
That team became known as the Miracle at Richfield.
The 1980s Cavaliers
The Gund ownership era produced a major rebuilding effort.
The Cavaliers drafted Brad Daugherty with the first overall pick in 1986 and later developed a powerful nucleus that included:
Brad Daugherty, Mark Price, Larry Nance, Ron Harper, Craig Ehlo
The Cavaliers became one of the NBA’s strongest teams during the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Unfortunately for Cleveland, those teams repeatedly encountered the Chicago Bulls and Michael Jordan in the Eastern Conference.
The most famous meeting came in the 1989 playoffs.
Jordan’s dramatic last-second shot over Craig Ehlo in Game 5 became known simply as “The Shot.”
It remains one of the most famous playoff moments in NBA history.
LeBron James Changes Everything
In 2003, Cleveland selected LeBron James with the first overall pick in the NBA Draft.
James was an Akron, Ohio, native who became the face of the franchise almost immediately.
NBA Rookie of the Year Award.
In his rookie season, James averaged 20.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game and won the 2003-04 NBA Rookie of the Year Award.
Cavaliers Rookie of the Year Winners
Under your requirement that the award must have been earned as a Cavalier, Cleveland has had two NBA Rookie of the Year winners:
LeBron James — 2003-04
James won Rookie of the Year after being selected first overall by Cleveland.
Kyrie Irving — 2011-12
Irving won Rookie of the Year during his first season with Cleveland after the Cavaliers selected him first overall in the 2011 draft.
These are the Cavaliers’ NBA Rookie of the Year winners.
Cavaliers NBA Most Valuable Player Winners
The Cavaliers have had one player win the NBA regular-season MVP while representing Cleveland:
LeBron James
2008-09 NBA MVP
James became Cleveland’s first NBA MVP in the 2008-09 season. He led the Cavaliers to the best record in the Eastern Conference and their first NBA Finals appearance.
2009-10 NBA MVP
James repeated as MVP in 2009-10.
He became the first Cavalier to win MVP in consecutive seasons. NBA records list James as Cleveland’s MVP winner in both 2008-09 and 2009-10.
Cavaliers MVP Total
LeBron James — 2 MVP awards
2008-09
2009-10
No other Cavalier has won the NBA regular-season MVP award.
Cavaliers and the Basketball Hall of Fame
There is an important distinction when discussing Hall of Fame players.
The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame does not induct players “for” a particular NBA team. Players are inducted for their overall basketball careers.
Therefore, a number of Hall of Famers have played for Cleveland without becoming Hall of Famers primarily because of what they accomplished as Cavaliers.
Those include players such as:
Nate Thurmond, Lenny Wilkens, Walt Frazier, Shaquille O’Neal, Ben Wallace, Dwyane Wade
NBA records list those Hall of Famers as having played for Cleveland. However, following a stricter rule—do not count players whose Hall of Fame careers were primarily established with other teams—the defining Cavaliers Hall of Famer is:
LeBron James
James’ Cavaliers accomplishments include:
2003 No. 1 overall draft selection
2004 Rookie of the Year
4-time NBA MVP
2009 MVP
2010 MVP
Four NBA Finals appearances with Cleveland
2016 NBA champion
2016 Finals MVP
Franchise career leader in points
Franchise career leader in assists
Franchise career leader in rebounds
His Cavaliers career is unquestionably a major part of his Hall of Fame legacy.
The 2007 NBA Finals
LeBron James led Cleveland to its first NBA Finals appearance in 2007.
The Cavaliers defeated the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals, winning the series 4-2.
Cleveland then faced the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals.
The Spurs won the championship series 4-0. Although Cleveland did not win the championship, reaching the Finals represented a major milestone for the franchise.
The 2015 NBA Finals
The Cavaliers returned to the NBA Finals in 2015.
James was joined by Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, forming the core of Cleveland’s championship-era team.
Irving was injured during the Finals, and Golden State defeated Cleveland in six games.
The loss set the stage for one of the greatest championship comebacks in NBA history.
The 2016 NBA Championship
The defining moment in Cavaliers history came in 2016.
Cleveland faced the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals.
The Warriors had won a record-setting 73 regular-season games and took a 3-1 Finals lead.
The Cavaliers then became the first team in NBA Finals history to overcome a 3-1 deficit and win the championship.
Cleveland won Game 7 in Oakland.
The final score was:
Cavaliers 93, Warriors 89
LeBron James won Finals MVP.
The championship was Cleveland’s first NBA title and ended the city’s 52-year wait for a major professional sports championship.
For Cavaliers fans, the 2016 championship remains the single greatest accomplishment in franchise history.
The Second LeBron Era
After winning the championship, Cleveland continued to contend.
The Cavaliers returned to the NBA Finals in:
2017
2018
That gave Cleveland four consecutive NBA Finals appearances from 2015 through 2018.
The Cavaliers faced Golden State in all four Finals.
Cleveland won the championship in 2016, while Golden State won the other three series.
James left Cleveland again after the 2017-18 season, signing with the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Post-LeBron Era
Following James’ departure, the Cavaliers entered another rebuilding period.
The organization began building around young players and draft selections.
Among the important pieces of the new era were:
Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen, Evan Mobley, and Donovan Mitchell.
The Cavaliers returned to the playoffs and eventually became a regular postseason contender again. The franchise’s history therefore contains several distinct eras:
Expansion and early struggles
The Miracle at Richfield
The Price-Daugherty-Nance era
The first LeBron era
The 2007 Finals
The championship era
The post-LeBron rebuild
The modern Cavaliers
The Cavaliers’ Championship
The Cavaliers have won:
1 NBA Championship
2016
The championship team was led by:
LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love, Tristan Thompson, J.R. Smith, Richard Jefferson,
Iman Shumpert.
Head coach:
Tyronn Lue
The 2016 championship is the defining achievement of the franchise.
Most Outstanding Cavaliers Coach
Tyronn Lue
If the criterion is the greatest coaching accomplishment in Cavaliers history, Tyronn Lue stands out because he coached Cleveland to its first and only NBA championship.
Lue became head coach during the 2015-16 season and guided the Cavaliers through the historic comeback from a 3-1 Finals deficit. His Cavaliers record includes:
2016 NBA championship
2016 NBA Finals victory
Four consecutive Finals appearances from 2015-2018 as part of the coaching staff/head-coaching era. The only championship in franchise history.
Other important Cavaliers coaches include Bill Fitch, Lenny Wilkens, Mike Fratello, Mike Brown and David Blatt. But the championship accomplishment makes Lue’s tenure especially significant in franchise history.
Most Outstanding Cavaliers Player
LeBron James
LeBron James is the central figure in Cavaliers history.
His Cleveland résumé includes:
11 seasons with the Cavaliers across two stints
2 NBA MVP awards as a Cavalier
2004 Rookie of the Year
5 NBA Finals appearances with Cleveland
1 NBA championship
2016 Finals MVP
Multiple All-NBA selections
Multiple All-Star selections
Cleveland’s all-time leader in points
Cleveland’s all-time leader in assists
Cleveland’s all-time leader in rebounds
James’ 2008-09 and 2009-10 MVP seasons are officially recognized by the NBA as Cleveland MVP seasons. His greatest accomplishment came in 2016, when he returned Cleveland to the top of the NBA and delivered the franchise’s first championship.
Cavaliers Legends
Several players deserve special recognition even though they do not meet the strict Hall of Fame qualification described above.
Mark Price
One of the greatest shooting point guards of his generation, Price was the engine of Cleveland’s late-1980s and early-1990s teams.
Brad Daugherty
The No. 1 overall pick in 1986 became one of the premier centers of his era and a centerpiece of the Cavaliers’ best pre-LeBron teams.
Larry Nance
Nance became a Cleveland icon after arriving in a 1988 trade and helped turn the Cavaliers into a perennial contender.
Austin Carr
Carr was Cleveland’s first great scoring guard and one of the most important players of the franchise’s early years.
Zydrunas Ilgauskas
Ilgauskas became one of the most durable and respected centers in Cavaliers history and played alongside James during the first LeBron era.
Kyrie Irving
Irving won Rookie of the Year in 2012 and became one of the most talented offensive guards in franchise history. His three-pointer in Game 7 of the 2016 Finals is one of the most famous shots in Cavaliers history.
The Legacy of the Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers’ history is ultimately a story of persistence.
The franchise began in 1970 with a 15-67 record.
It experienced years of rebuilding, ownership changes, difficult trades and heartbreaking playoff defeats. The franchise also produced the Miracle at Richfield, the Price-Daugherty-Nance teams, LeBron James’ two MVP seasons, four consecutive Finals appearances and the 2016 championship.
The Cavaliers’ greatest legacy is the 2016 NBA championship.
It was more than the first title in franchise history. It was the culmination of decades of Cleveland basketball history. The Cavaliers went from an expansion team playing in Cleveland Arena to an NBA champion playing in Rocket Arena. From Nick Mileti to Dan Gilbert. From Austin Carr and Nate Thurmond to Mark Price and Brad Daugherty.
From LeBron James’ first game in Cleveland to his legendary Game 7 performance in 2016. The story of the Cleveland Cavaliers is one of the NBA’s most memorable franchise histories—and the 2016 championship remains its defining chapter.
Note on the Hall of Fame section: the Basketball Hall of Fame does not officially classify an induction as being “as a Cavalier.” I therefore used your stricter interpretation and separated Cavaliers whose Hall of Fame careers were primarily built elsewhere from LeBron James, whose Cleveland accomplishments form a central part of his Hall of Fame résumé.
Artie Fischal
